Time really does heal all wounds.
When the Philadelphia Phillies traded Scott Rolen to the St. Louis Cardinals in July of 2002, it’s fair to say that he didn’t finish on great terms with manager Larry Bowa.
But after Rolen was elected to the Hall of Fame Tuesday, Bowa was one of the first to congratulate him:
Citing a lack of recent team success and commitment to winning from ownership, Rolen turned down contract extension offers from the Phillies of both seven years and $90 million and 10 years and $140 million before the 2002 season, both of which would have easily been the largest deal in franchise history at the time.
As Murray Chass of The New York Times wrote, the relationship between Rolen and Bowa deteriorated during the 2002 season, when it became apparent that the third baseman wasn’t long for red pinstripes:
“In camp itself, the relationship between Rolen and Manager Larry Bowa has been scrutinized, much to the displeasure of Bowa, who seems to have taken it personally that Rolen will not commit to staying with the Phillies. In an early incident, television microphones picked up disparaging comments Bowa made to Wade about Rolen.
“Then Bowa was found to have stopped speaking to Rolen, a development that Bowa denied even after he acknowledged it to reporters, explaining that people were making too much of an issue out of their conversations.
“Though Bowa did not mention it at the time, word surfaced the next day that the two men had met a day earlier, before an exhibition game against Kansas City in Davenport, Fla.. The meeting was apparently instigated by Bowa’s desire to stop the reports that they were not talking.”
According to reporting at the time, Bowa even needled Rolen by “keeping him in exhibition games longer than regulars usually play and has occasionally kept Rolen on the bench longer than usual in games in which he has not played in case he wanted to use him as a pinch-hitter.”
However, the respect that Bowa had for Rolen as a player never seemed to waver, as even in the midst of all this drama, the manager referred to him as “the best third baseman in baseball.” Mind you, this was at the same time that future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones was at the height of his powers, so it was evident how much Bowa believed in Rolen on the field, even if their personal feelings towards each other had soured.
It’s possible that in the 20 years since, the two have had the chance to mend fences. Certainly, some of the criticisms that Rolen was making about the organization’s commitment to winning — i.e. spending money like a major-market team — had validity at the time. And he got to go to a place in St. Louis that allowed him to reach two World Series titles and win one. And as the Phillies moved into Citizens Bank Park in 2004, they began to spend in a way that Rolen had hoped they would for much of his time with the Phillies.
Following Rolen’s election to the Hall of Fame Tuesday, Phillies managing partner John Middleton issued a statement congratulating the former third baseman and promising that he would be honored at some point during the 2023 season at Citizens Bank Park, a stadium he never played at as a member of the home team.
“On behalf of the Phillies, I want to congratulate Scott Rolen on his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a player. He richly deserves this award.
“Philadelphia was privileged to have witnessed the beginning of his extraordinary baseball career. In addition to being one of the most impactful offensive and defensive players of his era, Scott played the game the right way. Whether taking an extra base with a headfirst slide or diving for a ball in the hole, his hard-nosed effort and selfless attitude resonated with our fans. Along with his on-field contributions, Scott was a great teammate and a tremendous representative of the Phillies off the field.
“The Phillies look forward to honoring Scott for his momentous achievement at Citizens Bank Park this season at a date to be determined.”
Perhaps that honor will include Rolen finally being placed on the team’s Wall of Fame, which he clearly deserves based off of the production that he put up in six-and-a-half seasons with the Phillies. And who knows, maybe Bowa can be the one to unveil his plaque.
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